JOHN SHEARING

SHEARING--John (Jack),

(87), legendary Broadway Sound Designer, died December 3, 2017 at his home in Los Angeles. He was born January 23, 1930, in Queens, to Anne Keller, a public-school teacher, and John Shearing, a Broadway electrician who cofounded Masque Sound and Recording, and who was himself the son of a Broadway carpenter. Jack attended the High School of Music and Art in NYC, mastering piano and French horn. After serving in the Army in Germany during the Korean War, he graduated from Brown University with a degree in electrical engineering and joined his father at Masque Sound. Upon his father's death Jack bought out the co-owning partner and under his direction Masque became the leading sound shop on Broadway. His experience as a sound engineer on Broadway led him to pioneer the art and science of sound design. His credits include Broadway productions from the late 70's and early 80's, including "Grease," "Two Gentlemen of Verona," "No NoNanette," and "Ain't supposed to Die a Natural Death." Jack was the first president of the Sound Designers Union which he helped establish as Local 922. A lover of the outdoors, he sailed, golfed, and skied all over the world, was a fabulous cook, and devoted father. Married three times, he is survived by his five adult children, Anne Letrick, Laura Meola, John Shearing, Geoffrey Shearing, and James Shearing, their spouses, eleven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and by his third wife, actress singer, Jane A. Johnston. Gifts in Jack's honor can be made to the Actors Fund. A memorial will be held in NYC in early January.